Non-Fiction Friday: Review: Bones Never Lie (MacLeod)

Title: Bones Never Lie
Author: MacLeod
Genre: Non-fiction, Anthropology, Science, Forensics, Law, Crime
Pages: 156
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
Ages: 5th grade and up

Don't tell anyone, but I'm not an English major. Seriously, I'm really not.

I am a SCIENCE MAJOR through and through! Therefore, I love all books science-related; and if it's historical science and/or crime related, all the better. This might explain why I am a huge fan of the TV show Bones (as well as the books that Kathy Reichs, who the character "Bones" is based on, writes). In my next life I desperately want to be Indiana Jones.

So, when I come across a non-fiction title for teens about forensic anthropology, you know it is on the top of my "to read" list.

From the Publisher:
How did King Tut really die?
The mystery of the young pharaoh's death is only one of the puzzles that modern science has helped solve. Thanks to forensics -- the scientific way of examining physical evidence -- we now know what killed Napoleon and whether Anastasia survived the massacre of the Russian royal family.
Seven intriguing stories about historical royal figures whose demise was suspicious, and hard scientific facts about crime-solving techniques make each event seem like an episode of CSI rather than a history lesson.
Kids will be fascinated to find out how scientists used autopsy results (and the waist measurement of his pants!) to prove that Napoleon died not of arsenic poisoning as suspected, but of stomach cancer; and how DNA testing revealed that King Tut died of malaria.
Other stories include:
Who was the Man in the Iron Mask?
What was the fate of Marie-Antoinette's son?
Who killed an entire Maya royal family?
Who knows what really happened to Thailand's young King Rama?
At times a gripping "whodunit," at others a guide to deductive reasoning, this book will be hard to put down for any kids who love mysteries, murder, and suspense.

There's really not much more to say. I was very excited to discover this title as I think it is a good introduction to the topic for teens. There is plenty of illustrative material, and each chapter discusses an historical "case," keeping even reluctant readers engaged. A little history, a little science, a little whodunit...perfect!